Spiders may be frightening, but most of the time, they’re nothing to worry about. They’re so common that they’re just a fact of life for most homeowners. You’re just never going to get rid of every single spider in your house. However, there’s a difference between a couple of dozen spiders crawling around your home and a couple thousand. One you can keep out of sight and out of mind, the other you can’t. There aren’t many reasons for spiders to come into your home, so having large numbers of them infesting your property could be a lot worse than you think. It almost always means you have another infestation. Let’s talk about what you need to do.
Eight-Legged Menace?
Most of the spiders in Lexington are not dangerous. From wolf spiders to writing spiders to house spiders, every species of spider in our state is harmless except for the black widow and the brown recluse. While the bite from every other spider in Lexington will almost always result in nothing more than some localized swelling and minor pain, black widow and brown recluse bites are medically significant – meaning they can cause dangerous symptoms that may require medical intervention.
Black widows are solid, shiny black, and the females have the infamous red hourglass underneath their abdomens. Black Widows pack a neurotoxin that can cause systemic symptoms, from muscle cramps to nausea and vomiting, tremors, and excessive sweating. Some adults may only experience temporary mild to moderate illness. Still, vulnerable populations like kids and the elderly should receive emergency medical attention when a black widow bites them.
Brown recluses are hard to distinguish from other spiders. Lots of spiders are brown, and many even have a fiddle marking on their cephalothorax. The main distinguishing feature of the brown recluse is that it has few patterns. Recluses don’t have striped legs. They don’t have calico or chevron-looking markings. They’re just plain old brown with a darker fiddle marking. Recluse bites are hemotoxic, and they can cause necrosis at the site of the bite and may lead to scarring.
Why Spiders Invade Your Home
Unlike many pests, spiders don’t need us. They don’t eat our food. They can find their shelter. Most spider varieties don’t even need us to get through the winter. So why do they come in? In a nutshell: other bugs. Spiders are the obligate carnivores of the invertebrate world. They cannot eat anything other than the prey they kill. That means if you have an infestation of roaches, flies, ants, silverfish, crickets, or any other insect spiders like to eat – the spiders will naturally follow. That means anytime you see a major uptick in spider activity in your house, you almost always have a different infestation that’s causing it.
Preventing other insect infestations is a key component to keeping spiders out of your home. In addition to removing spiderwebs wherever you see them encourage spiders to move on, clear the clutter to get rid of spider hiding spots. Take these measures to curb spider prey infestations, such as:
- Store all foods in airtight plastic containers
- Seal cracks and holes in your home’s exterior
- Cover all trash both indoors and outdoors
- Vacuum and clean frequently to get rid of crumbs
If you still can’t seem to get rid of the spiders infesting your home, there is one more solution: call The Original Bugman Pest Elimination. Not only can we take care of your spider problem, but we can also get rid of the other infestations causing it. So call (803) 921-8829 or visit our contact page to schedule your home pest control or commercial pest control appointment today!
Schedule Your Free Inspection
Complete the form below to schedule your no-obligation inspection.